Colorado calf auction benefits hospice center for the 34th year

Pearl S. Buck once said, “The test of a civilization is in the way it cares for its helpless members.” Citizens in and around the La Junta, Colorado, area take that message to heart by supporting a cause that is important to their rural area and the livestock auction that started the fundraiser.

Les and Margaret Honey opened La Junta Livestock Commission in 1955. It has been family run ever since and is an important business to the rural and agricultural community. In the early 1980s, Margaret became ill and her family utilized Arkansas Valley Hospice, a care center that was trying to get established, to make her feel comfortable and provide her with round-the-clock care.

The Honey family saw a need to further develop the hospice center for the community to benefit from, so they decided to auction off a calf at the auction and donate the proceeds to Arkansas Valley.

Fast forward to 2020 and La Junta Livestock is preparing for the 34th year of the hospice fundraiser. The philanthropy project has undoubtedly transformed and grown over the years. Jace Honey, grandson of Les and Margaret, is now running the livestock market. The third generation family member to run La Junta Livestock Commission says in the beginning the Honey family donated the calf, but in the last 15 years locals, Ben and Jake Williams, have donated the calf in memory of their brother and son, Ronny.

“We sell one calf, but what we do is figuratively sell an ear for like $50 and the tail and the hoof and so forth,” Honey explained. “It might be a $25 bid or a $500 bid. Last year we set a record with raising a little under $24,000. Some of the people put in a little and some put in a lot, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all important.”

Honey says another party is interested in donating a second calf for future auctions, so the fundraiser could be expanding. Another important aspect of the auction is that it is held during the La Junta Livestock Commission anniversary sale, an annual event on the last Wednesday of March. This year will be the 65th anniversary for the livestock market and Honey says they are able to draw a large crowd for the fundraiser because of the anniversary and the fact that it is the last big cattle sale of the year for buyers to have the opportunity to buy grass and feeder cattle.

A meaningful cause

It is plain to see, the Honey family’s involvement with the fundraiser has greatly impacted the family. Cassie Elder, Jace’s sister, is now the director at Arkansas Valley Hospice and works closely with the livestock market each year to put on the auction. She says another aspect of the fundraiser that has developed over time is that the money raised is mostly used to support hospice patients who do not have insurance.

“Typically our money is through Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, but we don’t turn anyone away,” Elder said. “Plenty of people don’t have insurance, but we go ahead and take those patients in as free care. Then we have some programs that are available that are non-billable such as our palliative programs. Some of the money is also used for supplies such as new mattresses for the patients.”

Elder says through her involvement with hospice care, she has noticed stigmas about the field that she would like to break.

“A lot of people say I’m on hospice and I’m going to die, but we’ve had people graduate off of hospice,” Elder said. “And typically people who are on hospice tend to live longer than those who are not on hospice with the same disease and that gives them a better quality of life and more time to spend with family.”

Additionally, Elder says patients in need of hospice care do not always realize they have the choice to go on hospice. Elder says Arkansas Valley Hospice travels all over to provide services. They cover anywhere from Las Animas to Avondale and even to Kim, Colorado.

“People tend to want to stay in the home when they come to the end of life so that’s what hospice is about,” Elder said. “It’s about giving them that quality of life and choice.”

Elder says she has been on both sides of hospice—as the caregiver and as a family member—and she says probably the most misunderstood feature of hospice care is how they care for the entire family of a patient. They offer counseling and grief support to guide the family through their loss.

“Additionally, after the patient passes, the family has the option to get up to 13 months of bereavement,” Elder said.

Not only are the Honeys passionate about this particular business because of the support they provided while their family member was sick, they also see the value of a service like Arkansas Valley Hospice and what it means to people in their area. Honey says La Junta has a population of about 6,000 people, but supporting Arkansas Valley Hospice is important for rural America, not just La Junta.

“It’s a good time to sell and buy cattle at the anniversary sale and I think the fundraising auction is a good thing to be a part of as far as being affected by it or just donating to it,” Honey said.

The 2020 hospice calf auction will be at noon March 25, at the La Junta Livestock Commission. Honey says the cause receives support from all over the state. People who cannot attend the auction or just want to make a donation can send funds before or after the fundraiser to be added to the money raised. To donate, send contributions to La Junta Livestock, P.O. Box 69, La Junta, CO 81050. Elder wanted to make it clear that donations do not have to be substantial or even in monetary form.

“They can be $5 or $1,000 or if there is something you want to donate that you think our patients can use down the road, drop it by our office,” she said. “We take any type of donation.”

Lacey Newlin can be reached at 580-748-1892 or [email protected].